Roundabout or carousel.



J. M. TAYLOR.

ROUNDABOUT 0R GAROUSEL.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 24, 1910. RENEWED MAY 9, 1912.

1,032,092, Patented July 9, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANOORARH 60., WASHINGTON, D- G.

J. M. TAYLOR.

ROUNDABOUT on GAROUSBL. APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 24, 1910. RENEWED MAY 9, 1912. 1 32 992 Patented July 9, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANUGRAPH 41.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

- J. M. TAYLOR.

ROUNDABOUT OB'GAROUSEL. nipzonzofi rum) AUG. 24, 1910. RENEWED MAY 9, 1912. 1,032,092w

Patented July 9, 1912.

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JAMES M. TAYLOR, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-THIRD TO WILLIAM A.

BOOTH AND ONE-THIRD TO H. EVELETH, BOTH OF PLAINVIEW, NE-

BRASKA.

Application filed August 24, 1910, Serial No. 578,707. Renewed May 9, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES M. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at .Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State that type of roundabouts or carousels shown by Letters Patent issued to me March 26, 1907, No. 84:8,408; the invention forming the subject matter of the present application relating more particularly to means whereby the seats of cars or vehicles will be caused.

to rock or oscillate as the cars or vehicles are moved along the way or tracks.

In the accompanying drawings which show a preferred form of my invention and a modification thereof, Figure 1 is a plan view, the same being partly broken away in order to show one form of mechanism for moving two series of cars or carriages in opposite directions over sinuous ways by means of endless chains. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one type of car or carriage, this view also showing a part of the platform. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the car or carriage such view being projected from Fig. 2 and the said view is partly in section. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the type of car shown by Fig. 2 said view also showing a part below the platform. Fig. 5 is a detail view partly in section of one means for oscillating the seat of the cars by engagement with a sinuous way below the platform. Fig. 6 shows the construction of the drive chains and said figure includes a side elevation partly in section, and a plan view of the chain. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the fixtures located at the crossings of the chains to effect a disengagement of the chain engaging means on the cars from the chains at the crossings. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of one of the crossings. Fig. 9 is a plan view of a modified form of the car. Fig. 10 is a front elevation projected from Fig. 9 a part of the truck and platform being in section. Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the car shown by Figs. 9 and 10, and Fig. 12 is a detail view of a truck or sled with the seat detached.

The floor or platform 13 may be provided as shown in Fig. 1 with parallel slots 14 and 15, drive chains 16 being located beneath Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1912.

Serial No. 696,281.

the slots 14, the slots 15 that are parallel therewith being for the. passage of an arm attached to each of the trucks said arms having rollers that engage with means, which may be one of the walls of a recess or cam surfaces of fixtures 18 located at the curves where it is desired to rock the seats of the cars during their travel with the chains. The chains shown in detail by Fig. 6 are driven in opposite directions by the driven sprockets 17, and may be guided by idlers or'fixed guides of any suitable type and at intervals there are provided movable fixtures 18, which serve as chain guides and tighteners as well as means for actuating bars on the cars to oscillate the seats when the cars pass over the fixtures 18.

The fixtures 18 each have cam or inclined surfaces preferably below where the chains engage with the vertical walls of said fixtures and said vertical walls may be recessed to receive anti-friction rolls against which the chains will bear. The fixtures are pressed toward the chains by springs 19, which may be located in slots 20 through which pins 21 pass, the pins guide the fixtures and the springs force them against the chains to keep the proper tension thereon.

The chains 16, 16, which are maintained on different horizontal planes by their guides and sprockets have openings through their sides with which the sprocket-teeth will engage or pass to engage the ends of the adjacent links, and the upper links of the chains have openings into which pass chain engaging means on the trucks. The chains 16, 16, which are driven in opposite directions are made up of links 16 which are horizontally disposed in use and such links have therethrough elongated openings and holes for the reception of the coupling pins or rivets which connect thereto the adjacent links 16 which are preferably solid, a chain of this makeup is preferred as it is not liable to sag downward to any great extent and the same will bend readily about the horizontal sprockets and guides.

As shown by Figs. 2, 3, and 4 of the drawings the cars or carriages comprise trucks 22 upon which are mounted oscillatory seats 23, the trucks "each having wheels and axles, the axles being connected to the platforms of the trucks by fifth-wheels or kingbolts and from the axles extend bars or arms 24, the forward ends of the arms carrying depending rollers 25 which enter the slots 14: to engage the side walls thereof and guide the trucks. and by such construction tracks or rails upon the platform or floor 1;) will not be required. The trucks 22 are each pro vided with bars 26 which depend from the underside of the platforms and to the lower ends of these bars are secured heads 27 that carry pivoted chain engaging members 28, the ends of which have depending side lugs 29 that overlie the sides of the chains 16, and between the lugs 29 are depending portions 30 which are adapted to enter the slots in the links 16, and thus connect the trucks to the chains. The chain engaging members 28 are pressed downward by springs 31 which have at their ends rollers for engagement with the curved upper surface of the chain engaging members and by means of this construction the chain engaging members of the trucks will give more or less with any vertical movement of the chain so that there will be no liability of these parts being accidentally disengaged from the drive chain. At points where the drive chains cross are placed fixtures 33, which I designate as frogs and these fixtures have grooved or recessed ways 34; with which the side lugs 29 of the chain engaging members 28 contact to lift such members over the lower chain and the distance between the lugs is such that when one lug is raised by contact with the frog the other lug will still be in engagement with the chain, and in this way the trucks maintain the same relative position upon the platform, as to the spacing of the trucks. The frogs 33 have ways or curved lifts for each of the chain engaging means on the trucks, as the cars that move in opposite directions and the frogs are located below the floor or platform the longer arms extending in the same direction as the lower drive chain. The platform of the trucks 22, adjacent to one edge or side are provided with depending guides for vertically reciprocatory bars 36 that carry at their lower ends rollers 37 which engage with the walls of a serpentine slot or way 38 located below the slot 15 which is parallel with the slot 14; below which the chains are guided. The bar 36 is connected to the oscillatory seat 23 by means of a link 39, or other suitable swinging connection and as the carriages are moved over the platform the seats will be oscillated or rocked and during the travel of the trucks in a circuitous route the seats thereon will be oscillated at certain points preferably where there are sharp turns the side of the seat being raised to correspond with the ra dius of the curve. This rocking of the car and other features of construction eliminates the use of tracks upon the platform and as all the operating mechanism is below the platform or floor the same may be used for other purposes when the cars are removed or placed together.

Figs. 9, 10 and ii show a modification of my invention wherein other means are employed to impart an oscillatory movement to the seats and in such modified form the sinuous way and means on the seats impart the desired movement as the trucks are caused to travel about the curved places in the sinuous path or way. The trucks or platforms to which the seats are pivoted have about on a line with the stub axles that carry the wheels and midway between the wheels bars or depending rods 4L0, which carry wedge shaped blocks ll, which are free to turn upon the rods. The blocks or guides ll have their points positioned in the direction of the travel of the truck and they both engage or enter the slot 1% to engage the side walls thereof and thus guide the truck as the same is moved forward. The front rod of each of the trucks may extend downward to engage with the drive chain 16, such rod carrying chain engaging means as shown by Fig. 4. The blocks are held in line with the longitudinal center of the trucks and as the trucks are moved forward the blocks engage the edge of the sinuous slot and thus guide the trucks. The seats 28 are attached to the trucks so as to oscillate thereon and in order to impart an oscillatory movement to the seats at the curves the seats have secured thereto a bar 42 which is passed through a transverse slot in the platform of the trucks and extends downward to a point between the side walls of the slot, the lower end of the bar carrying a fixed head 43 thatis approximately the same width as the slot.

By means of the construction shown the seats are oscillated at the curves always tilting toward the center from which the curve is struck, and as the trucks meet the different curves the position of the seats as to inclination will be changed.

An amusement apparatus or device of the character described and illustrated intro duces a new and novel movementto the seats and though I have herein shown and described two ways of carrying my invention into use it is obvious that the same may be further modified without departing from my invention and attain the same effect or result,

I claim.

1. In an amusement apparatus, a plat-- form having therethrough a sinuous slot, a drive chain below the slot, means attached to the truck for engagement with the drive chain, a seat mounted upon the truck to rock thereon and means attached to the seat to effect by engagement with means below the surface of the paltform a rocking of the seat during the travel of the truck over the sinuous way.

2. In a device of the character described, a platform or floor having therethrough a sinuous slot, a truck having means thereon for engagement with the side walls of the slot to guide the truck, aseat maintained in movable engagement with the truck and means connected to the seat to engage fixed part-s and by such engagement effect a rocking movement of the seat during the travel of the truck over the slot.

3. In an amusement apparatus of the roundabout type, a way having curved portions, a truck or carriage having depending means for engagement with the way to guide the same, a chain located below the way, depending means attached to the truck or carriage for engagement with the chain, and means extending below the plane of the upper surface of the way for imparting an oscillating movement to a seat or seats upon the truck the inclination of the seats being toward the smaller radius of the curves of the way.

at. In an amusement apparatus, a hori- Zontal platform having therethrough a sinuous slot, a drive chain located below the slot, a truck having thereon guides which enter the slot to engage the side walls at the curves therein, a chain engaging means attached to the truck, a seat which is movably attached to the truck and means connected to the seat for moving the same to effect an inclination thereof at right angles to the direct-ion of the travel of the truck and toward the shorter radius of the curves.

5. In an amusement apparatus, a platform having a sinuous slot therethrough, a truck having movable guides that engage the side walls of the slot in the passage of the truck over the slot, means for moving the truck, a seat maintained in movable engagement with the truck and means that depend from the seat and enter the slot to effect movement of the seat during the travel of the truck.

6. In a device of the character set forth, the combination with a platform having parallel slots therethrough, drive chains located below one of the slots of each series, guides for the chains provided with inclined portions that extend in line with the slots that are to one side of the slots which are above the drive chains, a truck having movable seats and means depending from the seats to engage the inclinations and rock the seats during the travel of the trucks.

7. In a device of the character set forth, the combination of a slotted surface or plat-- form, drive chains below the slots, a truck having means for engagement with one of the drive chains, a seat on the truck and means depending from the seat to effect movement thereof the direction of the movement of the seat being cross-wise to the direction of the travel of the truck.

, JAMES M. TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

EDYTH OFFENHAUSER, JAs. M. KELLEY, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

